Digital board game studio sees 144 per cent sales rise after £22.5m investment

London based digital board game publisher Marmalade Game Studio saw downloads rise by 144 per cent over the lockdowns compared with previous 18 months.

This growth has been in concordence with the rest of the board game market, which has seen substantial market expansion with the advent of the pandemic and its multiple lockdowns.

The publisher, which recently secured a £22.5m investment from private equity firm LDC to support recruitment and the development of new games, saw downloads rise 147 per cent in the first UK lockdown between March and May in 2020 from the previous three months.

During the second UK lockdown between November and December 2020 downloads rose again by 155 per cent and over Christmas when family gatherings were restricted sales rose by 38 per cent over the 2019 festive season.

When the UK entered its third lockdown from January 2021 to May downloads climbed again by 678 per cent over the same period before the pandemic.

Revenues have more than doubled in the last three years at the company, which has offices in London and Lisbon, and staff numbers have increased from 28 to 65 with its range of games which includes Monopoly and Cluedo expanding from 3 to 10 titles.

Online gaming surged in popularity during COVID-19 lockdowns with the global online video market growing in value to $155.89bn last year with nearly one in five gamers across the European Union spending more time gaming online. In the UK that figure rises to 26 per cent.

Cristina Mereuta, co-CEO at Marmalade Game Studio, said: “The digital board games market was already growing strongly before the COVID-19 pandemic, driven by rising smartphone ownership and the quality and breadth of games available.

“The pandemic has accelerated growth and highlighted the benefits of online digital board gaming for people keeping people and families connected and supporting mental health during lockdown. We expect the growth boost seen during the pandemic to continue as more families and individuals download and play games.”

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